One of the biggest challenges faced by seniors is the lack of handicap transportation. Public transportation designed specifically for seniors can be limited or even non-existent in some areas. Being limited as to where you can travel is one of the most difficult losses of aging in Arizona.
If you are lucky enough to live in an area where good public handicap transportation exists, the first thing you will want to find out is whether that includes door-to-door service, or whether there are certain bus stops that must be used. There is a large difference between services that will pick you up and drop you off at your destinations and those services that make seniors head out in the heat or cold to a bus stop far away.
To find out about whether handicap transportation is available in your area, simply call public transportation and inquire about the program’s details and its enrollment process. Some cities require that documentation from a physician or even an interview be arranged since there are so many people who attempt to take advantage of the convenience of door-to-door service. – this website will help you navigate or find or to take advantage of convinient door to door services on this website.
Even the most convenient programs will usually require that any handicap transportation be arranged 48 to 72 hours in advance. Therefore, while it does provide effective transportation, it still prohibits seniors from being able to decide things spur-of-the-moment.
Many communities in Arizona also have volunteer driver programs. These also include door-to-door handicap transportation, but vary in the kind of services the provide and how far ahead a senior has to schedule his or her transportation needs.
For more spontaneous travel, taxis can frequently offer a good alternative to public handicap transportation. However, this does not assist seniors living in rural areas, and it can be costly if a taxi is taken too frequently. To save money, see if you can set up an account with the local taxi company, where the senior need only sign a ride ticket and a reduced cost will be tallied at the end of the month and invoiced, or charged to a credit card.
Indeed, handicap transportation does create more of a challenge to a senior’s life, but the services are there and they’re always growing.
